Curry College ACCEL Class of 2012

U.S.A. Massachusetts

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Hi everyone!

I just received my acceptance letter to the Curry College ACCEL program for a January 2011 start, class of 2012. I am 99.9% positive I will be accepting this offer so I thought I'd spark up a thread and reach out to other students or alumni of the program. Please feel free to post what's on your mind!

Congratulation to you all - ACCEL Class of 2012. I'm Christopher, I'm in the ACCEL class that will graduate next month. (yehey! lol.) CoutneyH is right that all the professors and clinical instructors are great and helpful. Congratulation again. :D

Chris - any chance you could enlighten us re: how classes are held? Lecture? Online? Hybrid? How do you feel you will compete with other new grads? Do you think you are better prepared than the traditional BSN programs? Any opinions you'd like to share would be incredibly helpful!

-ChrisTINA =P

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I applied to NYU too! Did you already receive your acceptance letter from them?

I know I'm on the waiting list but if you did go to NYU vs. Curry you'd receive your BSN faster than if you were to start at Curry in January 2011 - hope this helps w/ your decision making!

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I applied to NYU too! Did you already receive your acceptance letter from them?

I know I'm on the waiting list but if you did go to NYU vs. Curry you'd receive your BSN faster than if you were to start at Curry in January 2011 - hope this helps w/ your decision making!

Hi there!

I received my NYU acceptance packet yesterday in the mail! I've done a serious list of pros/cons and although NYU would allow me to graduate a mere five months earlier, I think Curry has a better program. Also, the 35K difference is a little unsettling. The way I see it, even if I graduate the five months earlier and start working as a RN then, I still won't compensate for the 35K. Are you on the Curry or NYU waitlist? I got waitlisted at MGH, which seems sort of ridiculous since I got accepted to NYU, Curry and Emory University which I feel are better schools. ***** Haha... I am still holding out for MGH but they said they would tell me up until the week before classes start, which is obnoxious. Oh and I've got to decide all of this before I leave on a 2.5 week service trip this Sunday since I will have very limited access to the civilized world.

Blah...

-CG

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If I were deciding between NYU and Curry, I think the money would play a BIG role. I applied to Georgetown, got interviewed and was set on going there (before they rejected me) because it was Georgetown. But it's $72,000, plus the cost of living, which is pretty high in DC, as well as NYC. I agree that a BSN is a BSN, and the hospitals in Boston are amazing. Hope I helped....:nurse:

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If I were deciding between NYU and Curry, I think the money would play a BIG role. I applied to Georgetown, got interviewed and was set on going there (before they rejected me) because it was Georgetown. But it's $72,000, plus the cost of living, which is pretty high in DC, as well as NYC. I agree that a BSN is a BSN, and the hospitals in Boston are amazing. Hope I helped....:nurse:

Thanks for the comment Sitch! I projected my finances for the next two years and even though Curry starts later, at the Curry breakeven point - I'd still be in significant debt for NYU. I've consulted my nurse manager and his position is that if he is interviewing two equally qualified candidates for a ICU RN, that "brand name schools" are not a deciding factor. The only time education is weighed differently is when you're comparing a bachelor prepared nurse and an associate prepared nurse. Sitch, are you planning on attending Curry in January?

-CG

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Congrats to you all! :yeah:

I received my letter last week stating I've been waitlisted for the program. Hope to hear about the waitlist sometimes soon but have been told they won't know anything until about May 15th. Is that when you all have to place your deposit by?

I'm just hoping I don't have to wait until Fall which is what they're saying is the latest they may inform the waitlisters...

BCH... the deposit for accepted students is due May 15th! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! Being waitlisted is a painful process (speaking from experience).

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Has anyone figured out their loan situation?I filled out the FAFSA which told me my expected family contribution was almost $7,000 a year! Obviously in the accelerated program, that would be impossibly... so now I'm a bit worred that I won't get enough in loans to cover the cost of school. In addition, I've been exploring options for loans to help with living expenses and a lot of financial institutions have stopped offering programs to students for living expenses. I talked to someone in the financial aid office a few minutes ago and they said our award letters won't even be coming out until the fall! Since I will need to move from Virginia, I was hoping to know sometime soon, so I'd know how much more money I'd need to come up with...

I also worry about being approved for private loans if that becomes necessary. I do not have a co-signer and have decent credit, but I don't know if it's good enough to be approved for $20,000 in loans!

Does anyone have any advice or insight? Did anyone attend the financial aid workshop on the 20th?I am freaking out a bit, because I really want to attend this program, but I'm unsure as to whether it will all work out.

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Has anyone figured out their loan situation?I filled out the FAFSA which told me my expected family contribution was almost $7,000 a year! Obviously in the accelerated program, that would be impossibly... so now I'm a bit worred that I won't get enough in loans to cover the cost of school. In addition, I've been exploring options for loans to help with living expenses and a lot of financial institutions have stopped offering programs to students for living expenses. I talked to someone in the financial aid office a few minutes ago and they said our award letters won't even be coming out until the fall! Since I will need to move from Virginia, I was hoping to know sometime soon, so I'd know how much more money I'd need to come up with...

I also worry about being approved for private loans if that becomes necessary. I do not have a co-signer and have decent credit, but I don't know if it's good enough to be approved for $20,000 in loans!

Does anyone have any advice or insight? Did anyone attend the financial aid workshop on the 20th?I am freaking out a bit, because I really want to attend this program, but I'm unsure as to whether it will all work out.

Hey Mwebster! I was able to attend the financial aid workshop and would be able to give you some insight on the program and financial planning. I created a FB group for accepted student in the hopes that we can start more specific discussions. I just find FB to be easier to have seperate topics of discussions. For all the accepted students who are planning on attending in January 2011, please search for the student FB group "Curry College ACCEL Class of 2012".

Mwebster - I would contact the financial aid office again and ask to speak to one of the financial aid reps. At the workshop, I met with Jennifer Wilheilm, who was able to walk me through some of the basics. Curry guarantees a $12,500 loan (Stafford) for all students attending the ACCEL program. You recieve this $12,500 loan twice throughout the program (one for Spring/Summer and one for Fall/Spring). The only different amongst students will be whether or not the Stafford loan is subsidized or unsubsidized (which determines whether or not you will have to pay interest during the program). They estimate about 8,200 out of pocket for the first "year" (Spring/Summer) and about 11,000 out of pocket for year 2 (Fall/Spring). Although they haven't set the tuition for this year but it shouldn't fluctuate too dramatically beyond those estimates. For living expenses, they also approve a living expense of 9,000 +/- per "year". This does not mean they offer a seperate loan, the stafford loan is the only aid they offer to the ACCEL students. All other grants, scholarships and loans need to be found on our own. What I believe the "living expenses" budget means is that when we apply for private loans, that Curry will vouche that the extra 9,000+/- a "year" is a necessary student expense. So if the school says it's a justified expense, more lenders will be willing to loan funds (versus if you were just like "I want 9,000 for things".) A loan company is much more comfortable providing you with funds that are being applied to investments versus just cash for whatever tickles your fancy. One loan that I hear is pretty popular is the Wells Fargo MedCap (up to $250,000), a loan provided to people pursuing a career in healthcare. The other thing to consider is that you need to have your loan distributor approved by Curry Fin Aid before you can accept the loan. Curry has relationships with certain lenders (Chase, Citi Bank, Discover, MEFA, SallieMae, Wells Fargo) so those do not need to be approved, but other lenders do need to be so that they know they are legitimate. I hope this helped and please let me know if you have any other questions!!!

-Christina

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So I have some questions:

When, exactly do classes begin??

How much is tuition?

the Curry website is not helping me as much as I'd like

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hey congrats guys!

I'm currently finishing up my first semester in the ACCEL program at Curry and I LOVE IT! Your classmates are going to be amazing and so far the program has been a blast. Here is a little breakdown of what the past semester has been like...

Tuesdays

Start with Nursing Care of Children (great class and teacher, lots of info, but def. interesting)

Break for lunch

Afternoon Health Assessment, then assessment lab (another fun class and teacher)

Wednesday

Nursing Lab (a chance to get your hands on all kinds of stuff, more amazing faculty)

Thursday

Start with Nursing Care of Adults (what can I say, this teacher is just great, fun class)

Break for lunch

Afternoon Pathophysiology (not as bad as it sounds and the teacher is maybe my fav. so far!)

Just gearing up for finals next week!!! Most are worth 30% of our grade so def. have to put some time in now. The best advice I have received came from someone who spoke at my orientation(sorry can't remember your name!:crying2:) and she said you can either...

A.) Be stressed out all the time about the tests and every little detail or...

B.) Enjoy your classes and the knowledge that you gain will be valuable throughout your career, A's are not everything, better to enjoy your time at school and make some lifelong friends!

If you guys need any more info feel free to contact me, congrats again and good luck!!!

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hey congrats guys!

I'm currently finishing up my first semester in the ACCEL program at Curry and I LOVE IT! Your classmates are going to be amazing and so far the program has been a blast. Here is a little breakdown of what the past semester has been like...

Tuesdays

Start with Nursing Care of Children (great class and teacher, lots of info, but def. interesting)

Break for lunch

Afternoon Health Assessment, then assessment lab (another fun class and teacher)

Wednesday

Nursing Lab (a chance to get your hands on all kinds of stuff, more amazing faculty)

Thursday

Start with Nursing Care of Adults (what can I say, this teacher is just great, fun class)

Break for lunch

Afternoon Pathophysiology (not as bad as it sounds and the teacher is maybe my fav. so far!)

Just gearing up for finals next week!!! Most are worth 30% of our grade so def. have to put some time in now. The best advice I have received came from someone who spoke at my orientation(sorry can't remember your name!:crying2:) and she said you can either...

A.) Be stressed out all the time about the tests and every little detail or...

B.) Enjoy your classes and the knowledge that you gain will be valuable throughout your career, A's are not everything, better to enjoy your time at school and make some lifelong friends!

If you guys need any more info feel free to contact me, congrats again and good luck!!!

Hi Dingo,

Thank you for your detailed response! From what you wrote, can I assume students are only required to be on campus three days a week and the rest of the time is independent study? That's not including practicals. I only ask because I'll be commuting from my apartment in Brighton, which is only 10 miles away but the trip can take up to 45 minutes with traffic. Do you know if a lot of students commute?

Thanks!

Christina

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Hey Christina,

I actually live in Cleveland Circle and a couple other people live in Brighton, the commute is NO problem! It seems we go to and from school at just the right time to miss traffic, I usually take route 9 west and then 128, super fast, about 30 min. And yes, there is quite a bit of independent study, but if you knock out material every week you won't be pulling all nighters for the exams. Good luck and have fun!

brendan

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